RIGA - Preparations for Legionnaires Day, due to take place on March 16, have taken a turn for the worse with many organizations banned from protesting and tensions between the foreign ministry and the Russian embassy escalating.
Latvian Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins said he did not approve of the Russian embassy choosing to use a "big brother" like tone when speaking to Latvia.
"The Russian party still pretends not to understand that nobody in Latvia is holding anything like praising the fascist ideology on March 16," said Riekstins in an interview with Latvian television.
The legionnaires were Latvian soldiers in the Waffen SS unit that fought against the Soviet Union in WWII and on the side of Nazi Germany. Many Latvians maintain that the legionnaires were patriots, fighting for their homeland after the Soviet Union took over the country in 1940. All events commemorating them is condemned by both Russia and Israel. "Some criticism may be devoted to the Russian embassy's employees and the ambassador who often chooses the tone of the big brother. It does not promote understanding between both countries," said Riekstins.
A Russian Foreign Ministry employee issued a statement criticizing Latvia for making Nazi's into heroes, saying that the March 16 events disgrace Latvia and the whole European Union (EU).
The employee told the Interfax news agency he was surprised that such neo-Nazi events are held in Latvia when in a number of EU countries denial of the Holocaust can be punished.
The Latvian Foreign Ministry responded by saying "The Russian Foreign Ministry obviously does not have enough information about neo-Nazi trends in Russia, murders of journalists and ethnic minority representatives in Russia. Otherwise it would never address such reproaches to Latvia, which has never found any totalitarian ideology acceptable and which has always stood against Nazi manifestations."
Increased security is planned for March 16. A number of groups have also been banned from participating in events.
The Riga City Council has received applications from numerous groups that want to hold events at the Freedom Monument to honor the day. Applications have been received from both the Latvian Anti-Fascist Committee, which will protest the march, and Daugavas Vanagi (Daugava Falcons), a patriotic organization founded by exiled Latvians that supports the legionnaires.
Josefs Korens, head of the Latvian Anti-fascist Committee, told The Baltic Times that it was wrong to pick out one group of people to remember, and that there should be a day for all fallen soldiers.
"My dream is that in Latvia there won't be a Legionnaire memorial day. Certainly memorials for fallen soldiers yes, but just for legionnaires no," he said.
He said it is a huge historical fallacy for the Latvian Legionnaires to be considered defenders of Latvia.
"The large part of youth today see them as heroes who fought for Latvian independence and who guarded Latvia, but they weren't even in Latvia. They are responsible for many deaths of innocent people all over Europe," said Korens.
Some 140,000 people formed the Latvian Legion, 50,000 of them died in the war or deportations.
In 1950 the United States declared that the Baltic SS legions having been special units are to be distinguished from other German SS troops and not regarded as harmful movements. o, RIGA
Preparations for Legionnaires Day, due to take place on March 16, have taken a turn for the worse with many organizations banned from protesting and tensions between the foreign ministry and the Russian embassy escalating.
Latvian Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins said he did not approve of the Russian embassy choosing to use a "big brother" like tone when speaking to Latvia.
"The Russian party still pretends not to understand that nobody in Latvia is holding anything like praising the fascist ideology on March 16," said Riekstins in an interview with Latvian television.
The legionnaires were Latvian soldiers in the Waffen SS unit that fought against the Soviet Union in WWII and on the side of Nazi Germany. Many Latvians maintain that the legionnaires were patriots, fighting for their homeland after the Soviet Union took over the country in 1940. All events commemorating them is condemned by both Russia and Israel. "Some criticism may be devoted to the Russian embassy's employees and the ambassador who often chooses the tone of the big brother. It does not promote understanding between both countries," said Riekstins.
A Russian Foreign Ministry employee issued a statement criticizing Latvia for making Nazi's into heroes, saying that the March 16 events disgrace Latvia and the whole European Union (EU).
The employee told the Interfax news agency he was surprised that such neo-Nazi events are held in Latvia when in a number of EU countries denial of the Holocaust can be punished.
The Latvian Foreign Ministry responded by saying "The Russian Foreign Ministry obviously does not have enough information about neo-Nazi trends in Russia, murders of journalists and ethnic minority representatives in Russia. Otherwise it would never address such reproaches to Latvia, which has never found any totalitarian ideology acceptable and which has always stood against Nazi manifestations."
Increased security is planned for March 16. A number of groups have also been banned from participating in events.
The Riga City Council has received applications from numerous groups that want to hold events at the Freedom Monument to honor the day. Applications have been received from both the Latvian Anti-Fascist Committee, which will protest the march, and Daugavas Vanagi (Daugava Falcons), a patriotic organization founded by exiled Latvians that supports the legionnaires.
Josefs Korens, head of the Latvian Anti-fascist Committee, told The Baltic Times that it was wrong to pick out one group of people to remember, and that there should be a day for all fallen soldiers.
"My dream is that in Latvia there won't be a Legionnaire memorial day. Certainly memorials for fallen soldiers yes, but just for legionnaires no," he said.
He said it is a huge historical fallacy for the Latvian Legionnaires to be considered defenders of Latvia.
"The large part of youth today see them as heroes who fought for Latvian independence and who guarded Latvia, but they weren't even in Latvia. They are responsible for many deaths of innocent people all over Europe," said Korens.
Some 140,000 people formed the Latvian Legion, 50,000 of them died in the war or deportations.
In 1950 the United States declared that the Baltic SS legions having been special units are to be distinguished from other German SS troops and not regarded as harmful movements.
